SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
PHOENIX: In an interview during spring training Commissioner Bud Selig has declared that he is proud of the progress MLB has made in the fight against doping.
However he refused to give any light on his office’s recent talks with Yankees star third baseman Alex Rodriguez regarding his admission to steroid use. Rodriguez claims that he did use performance enhancing steroids in 2001-03 while he was playing for the Texas Rangers.
At the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs game yesterday the Commissioner stated, “It’s been an interesting experience for me in the respect that we’ve cleaned the game up. I’m proud of where we are.”
However he admits that there is still work to be done for what concerns refining the test to detect human growth hormone.
“There’s not a test, regardless of what people say,” the Commissioner confirmed. “If there’s a test we’ll use it. I can’t wait to sit down and tell you that we now have a test for HGH.”
On the Rodriguez case his sole frustration was in being told that he should have been infomed earlier on that steroids were a problem.
Selig said, "If I sound frustrated it's because you get into revisionism 15-20 years later and it's the wrong set of facts you're revising.”
"My frustration is we started (minor league testing) in 1998. Where were we sleeping?"
Selig also stated that his office is staying informed on the economic impact on all 30 teams for what concerns sponsors and the recession.
"We have some clubs that are doing remarkable business and we have some clubs that are struggling," he said. "Are we monitoring things? You bet."
